Selincro (nalmefene) experience

I actually have the opposite to the possibly expected reaction - feel really happy and relaxed. Kind of the opposite of the expected/ possible side effects, really.. but i guess this is a weird/ temporary reaction - or I may just be relieved that I need not give up the guest bedroom for those aliens!

WOW thats good! Well done. This what I'm looking for. I do have a lot of willpower but need that extra backup. I want this pill but since I'm on Tramodol they ( doc and councilor ) won't prescribe. Ive been great for just over 1 year ( having 2 drinks per night ) not before 5-6 pm and not after 12am but this last 2-3 weeks has been steadily creeping up. I'm so fed up with this constant battle .

Hi Eugenia. Fascinating to read but what actually happened??are you drinking less? Just wondering wh at is your current situation?

aaaand its all gone, and i've lost any sort of interest in drinking more. Had two glasses overall.

Hm, this may be a good thing after all!

That's excellent! So pleased to read this.

Yes, Selincro seems to be a very misunderstood medication by many medical professionals, and because of that misunderstanding, doctors don't tend to know about or explain a number of things to their patients.

1. Any side-effect issues are usually very temporary, in line with many, many other medications out there. Everyone is different, but everyone can prepare in case.
2. In the beginning, eat first to prevent the risk of nausea and drink lots of water to help flush it out the system as quickly as possible the next day.
3. Any initial side-effect issues are far, far outweighed by the long term gain that Selincro offers.
4. Some 'side-effects' are not actually the medication itself, but normal experiences of a reduction in alcohol (insomnia, headache, etc, for example).
5. Whilst the medication does the heavy lifting, it is also beneficial to keep your progress as smooth as possible by working with the tablets - by that I mean learning to make better choices about when/what/where and how you drink. Like tablets to helps someone lose weight, they will work better in the long run if that person learns to make better choices about what they eat, and start to learn to make longer term changes.

Remember, too, that it does take a while for the Selincro to overwrite the existing drinking 'program' in your brain, and that in the beginning, you may experience amazing success that then wains a little and your drinking may increase again. If it does, do not worry. Just remain compliant to the prescribing instructions and continue onwards.

I am excited for you and hope that you will continue to post and let us know how things are going for you, or to ask any questions as you progress.

is it safe to take whilst pregnant?

Just to write a quick update.. full disclosure: I think that the way I am doing things is not the right way, so please do not follow my steps without discussing with a doctor.

So from the first pill until now I have, in total, had 2 bottles of wine. Really.

I didn't try not to drink as of yet though, its just that I honestly didn't think about drinking. And when I did, I could feel the alcohol more - smell, taste.. my beloved wine got this somewhat medicinal quality to it. I begin to wonder whether this is why back in the day when I'd just started my love and hate relationship with wine I had a decanter.?.

My alcohol tolerance went down I think. It was my mom's birthday a couple of days ago - I had half a bottle of wine (I did take the pill then, fully expecting to be all in with at least a bottle and a half..). I had half a bottle without trying to drink in moderation.

Now for the bad part that i mentioned..

I didn't take Selincro for absolutely every single glass that I've had during this time. Once unintentionally, the other times out of curiosity. But the overall calmness in my attitude towards alcohol held up despite not being "covered" on that specific day. Surprisingly.. On some very deep subconscious level maybe?. I am now still very okay having one small glass. It is still difficult to not WANT to have some wine when I see others drink, to be honest. Difficult to ditch the ritualistic drinks (ie when i eat a certain salad or when i cook up the storm.. so far always had wine while doing that). But it's getting easier.

I just wish I'd gotten it from an NHS GP, not a private one since paying £110 for 14 pills is really a sad experience.. but I regard it as an investment in my health, so sticking to it. Plus, I do save a pretty penny drinking less (hopefully this trend continues!) so.. it sort of balances itself out.

oh, and..

Thank you for pointing out that there may be this "golden girl" period in the very beginning - which I am very obviously experiencing 😃 followed by a potential fall back into bad habits. It was really - and I mean VERY - useful to know. Even though I am not there yet, I know that, should this time come, it's okay.. because, frankly, I was afraid of just that - when I hadn't even started. I now know to persevere despite any falls.

To date, I've only taken 4 pills - and even that amount has changed my life. I now have no side effects whatsoever (I think the third pill was already a smooth ride). And it just makes me feel more calm knowing that I have the little helpers to get me through any potential downfall.

So I cannot say how much of my current modest success is down to the psychological factor, but for me... taking my first Selincro has been a life-changing event.

I cannot believe that NHS aren't more onboard with helping people veer off the way of becoming truly and deeply dependent on alcohol. This little oval pill is all it takes to give people hope and strength to stand with their head held high.

I am so sorry for spamming, unsure how to edit a post..

But I forgot to mention smth important: it has been my second night in a row last night when I didn't wake up at 03:20 like an idiot unable to fall back to sleep for hours. In fact, yesterday and today I slept until 9am!! Granted, I went to bed after midnight on both occasions, but I managed to sleep afterwards!